Western New England goes after second win Saturday at Massachusetts Maritime Academy

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Western New England football team goes after its second win of the season against Massachusetts Maritime Academy starting at noon Saturday (Sept. 10) at Clean Harbors Stadium in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts.

The Golden Bears opened the 2011 campaign with a hard-fought 28-24 victory at home over Norwich last Saturday. WNE led 14-0 in the second quarter before falling behind 17-14 late in the third period and 24-21 with 3:34 left in the game.

Senior quarterback Bryce Brown (Guilford, CT) scored the winning touchdown on a three-yard run with 1:43 remaining in the game. He had an outstanding performance finishing with 393 total yards and accounting for all four touchdowns. Brown completed 17-of-23 passes for a career high 243 yards and two touchdowns (68 and 33 yards) and ran for a game-high 145 yards and two scores (12 and 3 yards).

For his efforts, Brown was named the New England Football Conference (NEFC) Offensive Player-of-the-Week and was the recipient of the New England Football Writers Division III weekly Gold Helmet presented by the Gridiron Club of Boston.

Brown, however, suffered an injury in the game and will not play against Massachusetts Maritime. Sophomore John Krafick (New Milford, CT) will make his first varsity start. The team punter, Krafick played well in a scrimmage against Utica two weeks ago.

"John had a nice career at New Milford High School and climbed up the depth chart to become the backup quarterback last year," said WNE coach Keith Emery. "He put together a nice spring and pre-season camp, so we're looking forward to seeing him in action."

Junior linebacker Nolan Rickard (Southington, CT) also will make his first varsity start against the Buccaneers. He earned a spot on the weekly NEFC honor after recording a team-high 11 tackles with a sack in a reserve role against Norwich.

Freshman wide recover Kareem Hines (South Burlington, VT) had a successful college debut with three receptions for 81 yards against the Cadets, which included a 68-yard touchdown on the third play of the game. Freshman running back Kevin Cook (Hamburg, NJ) added 50 yards on six carries with a long of 37.

Western New England defeated Massachusetts Maritime last year 30-6 int he first meeting between the schools since 1986. The Golden Bears led 7-6 at halftime before breaking the game open with 23 unanswered points in the second half (including 16 in the final period).

The Buccaneers posted a 5-5 record a year ago, which was their highest win total in a decade. Highlights included wins over NEFC Bogan Division rivals Bridgewater State and Coast Guard, and a close three-point loss (15-12) at New York Maritime who won the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC) title and played in the NCAA Division III Championship.

Massachusetts Maritime has 41 returning letter winners and 15 starters led by sophomore quarterback Mike Stanton (Quincy, MA) who completed 51.4% of his passes for 1,165 yards and nine touchdowns in nine contests in 2010.

Senior running back Matt White (Westwood, MA) rushed for a team-high 762 yards (84.7 per game avg.) and 11 touchdowns while senior linebacker Mike Bois (Lakeville, MA) led the defense with 68.5 tackles, including nine for losses.

"Massachusetts Maritime is an improved team over last season and they have a lot of experienced players," said Emery. "White is a quick, talented back and Stanton has a strong arm. They have a lot of players back on defense who fly to the football."